1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a sanding or filing system and, more particularly, to a sanding or filing system which is capable of determining a smoothness/roughness of a surface and providing such information to a user for either automatic or manual adjustment of the sanding or filing.
2. Background Description
The sanding or filing of surfaces is typically accomplished by sanding the surface of the object with sandpaper, a file or other such apparatus which has a course surface. In use, an artisan or craftsman may sand the surface to a certain smoothness by either manually sanding the surface in a certain pattern or, alternatively, attaching the sandpaper to a belt sander or other similar mechanism.
In sanding the surface, the craftsman will periodically check the smoothness or roughness of the surface by sliding one""s hand across the surface. Although this can provide a certain assurance of smoothness, there is no objective criteria to determine the exact smoothness of the surface. That is, there may be portions of the surface which are not the same smoothness as other portions and which cannot be ascertained simply by sliding one""s hand across the sanded surface. Also, using these common systems cannot provide the same smoothness, to any accurate degree of certainty, as a similarly sanded surface. In addition, even if a rough spot was found by using the above method, there is no known mechanism to isolate only that region in order for only that region to then be sanded.
In one aspect of the present invention a smart filing system is provided. The smart filing system includes a sanding or filing surface adapted for working a surface and at least one sensor for sensing the level of roughness or smoothness of the surface. The system further includes a module for analyzing the level of roughness or smoothness of the surface. The analyzing module obtains the level of roughness or smoothness of the surface from the at least one sensor. A communication module is provided for communication between at least the analyzing module and the at least one sensor. In embodiments, a display and a database for storing information is provided. The filing system may also include a comparator module, a camera, a control planning module, a directing module and a graphical user interface.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for working (sanding or filing) a surface is also provided. The method includes the following steps:
(a) placing a sanding or filing surface on a surface to be worked;
(b) moving the sanding or filing surface along the surface in a predefined pattern;
(c) obtaining data about the surface via sensors;
(d) determining a roughness of the surface from the obtained data;
(e) determining whether the surface is at a predetermined smoothness based on the roughness of the surface obtained in step (d); and
(f) determining that the surface is at a predetermined smoothness and ending the working.
A third aspect of the present invention includes a computer programmable code for implementing the steps of the present invention.